Objective: Thulium laser vaporization of the prostate (TL-PVP) has been performed for almost 10 years. However, there are very few studies focused on high power (150 W) applications. Published sources have short follow-up periods, few cases and small prostatic volumes. In this study, we present an analysis of the safety and efficacy of this technique in the mediumterm (42 months follow-up) perspective.
Methods: Data from 235 patients that underwent TL-PVP from March 2011 to November 2013 has been collected, including prostatic size, intraoperative variables, IPSS, Qmax, and PSA, among others.
Results: Mean age was 69±9 years. Mean prostatic size was 62±28 ml. The average IPSS score and Qmax were 18±16 and 7.6 ± 3.5 ml/s, respectively. Mean hospital stay was 24±17 h. Mean time with urethral catheter was 38 h. Only 26.1% of the patients had perioperative complications but none of the cases was higher than a Clavien III. From this population, no more than 1.7% required readmission. Mean postoperative Qmax after 3 and 24 months was 19±6 ml/s and 17±8 ml/s. IPSS was 5±5 points. A successful outcome was achieved in 81.3% of the patients. Obstructive symptoms persisted in 15.7% of the population and 3% resulted in filling-phase dysfunction. Reoperation rate was 5%. The only statistically significant difference (p=0.008) between successful and unsuccessful outcomes occurred in prostatic size, where mean values calculated were 59.73 ml and 71.82 ml, respectively.
Conclusions: In this study, high power TL-PVP is a safe and effective alternative with subjective and objective functional results that are comparable to the "gold standard" technique. It also offers a shorter hospital stay and a lower complication rate.